Front row...

Live
written by Doesnt' Matt R

So check it, I went to see Jay-Z last night. It’s probably the tenth time I’ve seen him live in the last twelve years. Also at the show, D-Block, Neyo, and Lil Wayne. Normally I would give a song-by-song recount of the night’s events. But for most of the night, I was kind of bored. And that bothered me.

I go to a lot of concerts. Within the last year, I’ve seen Jigga twice, Kanye and Summer Jam. That’s actually a slow year. There was a time in my life when the thought of going to a show was an exciting event. I wondered if any special guests were going to come out. I pre-planned set lists in my head. Well, if Busta Rhymes is gonna be there, and Diddy, maybe they’ll do Victory. The idea of showing up late was maddening. How could I risk not seeing Cam’ron run a sound check and bust out 357? These were major concerns of mine.

All of that has changed in recent years. I’ve found that Jay-Z more or less puts on the same show. Always entertaining. All the hits I want to hear. I leave with no voice and a headache from screaming, But I was there the night he brought Nas out. No show is going to live up to that, short of him bringing Biggie out for Brooklyn’s Finest. But at least HOV realizes people pay good money to see him. I’ve never left disappointed, even if most of the shows have blurred together into one big memory.

It’s funny that one of the best concerts I ever attended was Cash Money / Ruff Ryders back in the day. That was the last time I enjoyed Weezy live. It was also the last time The Lox put on a solid show for me. Back then, Jada, Sheek, and Louch were so happy to finally get off Bad Boy, that they rocked the house. I’ll never forget the feeling of the stadium shaking as 30,000 Tims all stomped at the same time for Wild Out. It was the loudest noise I’ve ever heard at a show. Cash Money had the hottest songs of the summer at the time and were living it up on stage, bringing girls up and having them Drop it Like it’s Hot and Backing that Azz Up.

Now, Weezy is lucky to be able to get through a set and have people comprehend him. He pulls out his guitar, bangs on one chord, and humps the ground with no shirt on. I’ve seen Youtube of him storming off stage, getting things thrown at him, and generally underperforming. I’ve yet to see D-Block get through an entire song in the last ten years. They bring out their entire entourage and do one verse from a couple of recognizable tracks. In all fairness, I’m a huge fan of these acts. But they just don’t rock the mic live. Is it that I’ve seen too many shows? That I’m jaded to these experiences? Or has the art of live performances become a lost art? I know Weezy is grateful for his fans, he thanks us enough in his live show, but I’d much rather him actually entertain me like I was out in the park, circa ’83, Bronx.